How do UF Movement Disorders Clinics work?

Neurologists who specialize in movement disorders see patients each week in the UF Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration clinic. The physicians spend time with each patient diagnosing and optimizing therapy. Specialized clinics include botulinum toxin treatments, Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, Huntington’s disease, Tourette syndrome, ataxia, PSP and atypical parkinsonism, programming DBS devices, and other medical and surgical treatments for hundreds of different basal ganglia (movement) disorders.

What makes UF’s clinic different is that the physicians spend the time necessary to deliver the best possible patient care. They have the advantage of a supporting staff and interdisciplinary team that is as good as anywhere you will find in the world.

At every appointment, physicians have the patient perform a standardized rating scale for one of the major movement disorders (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, Tremor Rating Scale, Unified Dystonia Rating Scale, Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale, etc). They also note all of the medications a patient may be taking; the patient will also recount a complete history of their disorder and fill out several quality-of-life questionnaires (QOLs). Additionally at each visit patients walk on a state of the art gait mat, and have their balance electronically checked.

From this information, the movement disorder neurologists will make a diagnosis and have a long discussion with the patient about options. The interdisciplinary team will be made available to the patient to take care of every possible need. If surgery is needed the workup is initiated and a special fast track process started. Surgery page.

Every patient is given the option, on site, of participating in cutting edge research about their movement disorder. Read more about it on the Research page.

If you have Parkinson’s disease or another movement disorder, we want to see you!